Debate Coaches Pick Gore

Vice President Al Gore won Wednesday night’s debate with Republican rival Jack Kemp in the unanimous view of seven high school and college debate coaches. They said Gore made effective use of instances in which Kemp had parted company with the top of his ticket, Bob Dole.

“Gore was well prepared and the essence of all good argumentation is preparation,” said Dallas Perkins, debate coach at Harvard.

Out of a potential maximum score of 210, the judges awarded Gore 187 points to 166 for Kemp. The debaters were rated on six criteria - reasoning, evidence, organization, refutation, cross-examination and presentation.

In a quick poll the public seemed to agree with the debate coaches. In the ABC survey, 50 percent said Gore won the showdown, 27 percent viewed Kemp as the winner and 21 percent called it a draw.

Several members of The Associated Press panel of judges said that by debating standards the match was superior to last Sunday’s encounter between President Clinton and Dole.

“Both were dynamic, much more competitive than in the presidential debate,” said Aaron Timmons, who coaches debate at The Greenhill School in Dallas. “Gore wins because he had more specifics.”